April 2026
Beginner
390 pages
9h 23m
English
Content preview from Learning Generative AI Tools for Excel
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O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
Chapter 12. Python, Excel, and AI
I’m a computer engineer, and programming has been a steady companion for many years, so writing a chapter that brings together Python, AI, and Excel is something I genuinely enjoy. It wasn’t always that way, though. I still remember my first encounter with a programming language more than 20 years ago—it was far from smooth. In my very first computer science course, we learned C++. The challenge wasn’t just the language itself but the shift in mindset it required. Programming forces you to stop thinking from your own perspective and start thinking from the machine’s. The key question becomes: how would a computer implement this? Once that mental switch happens, everything feels more natural because you begin reasoning the way the system does.
In this chapter, I want to give you a taste of what’s possible when you extend Excel with Python, one of the most popular programming languages for data analysis. Using Python turns Excel into an even more potent ally. You don’t need to become a full-fledged programmer either. Today, AI can support you even if your coding experience is limited.
The real point of this chapter is simple: Python gives you a flexible, unifying scripting layer that connects data access, analysis, and visualization in a way that feels natural for AI-driven workflows. You’ll need to spend a little time getting Python set up in Excel, but that upfront investment pays off quickly in power, clarity, and control.
In this chapter, you’ll ...
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I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.Amir M.
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.